UNC-Chapel Hill signs agreement with Justice, Education departments closing 18 civil rights investigations and a compliance review

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the federal government signed an agreement with an effective date of Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, that closes 18 Education Department Office for Civil Rights investigations and a Justice Department Civil Rights Division compliance review opened April 18, 2025. All arose under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.¹ Chancellor Lee H. Roberts signed for UNC; Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon and Assistant Secretary of Education Kimberly Richey signed for the United States.¹

The agreement says it “is not an admission in whole or in part by either party” and that UNC “expressly denies liability.” It contains no payment to the United States.¹ UNC says it does not have to make a monetary settlement payment and expects implementation costs to fall within ordinary operating expenses.²

What the agreement requires

The terms run until Dec. 31, 2028. Other Title VI investigations, enforcement actions, grant terminations and fines tied to conduct before the effective date are held in abeyance. The held investigations are to close at the end of the term if the United States finds UNC has kept its terms. While it does, UNC remains eligible for grants, contracts and awards.¹ Among the requirements:¹

• Antisemitism: a Title VI coordinator in the University Compliance Office; coverage of Jewish and Israeli students under the nondiscrimination policy; mandatory antisemitism training for all students, faculty and staff, with specific training for campus police; and possible discipline of student groups, including defunding or de-recognition.
• Face coverings: a ban on masks that conceal identity, with religious, medical and other limited exceptions.
• Admissions: “color-blind” admissions across all schools; no racial proxies, no use of race or analysis of racial data in admissions, and no consideration of race in recruiting, including through “bridge” or “pipeline” programs. Applicants’ personal adversity and family circumstances such as poverty may still be weighed. Standardized test scores must be used when submitted.
• Programs: student benefits, scholarships, aid and programming may not differentiate by race, color or national origin, and scholarship criteria may not include diversity or “underrepresented” status tied to those traits.
• Oversight: a Merit & Civil Rights Administrator chosen within 30 days; quarterly reports to the Justice and Education departments on discrimination complaints, the first covering those received since Oct. 7, 2023; and a quarterly certification by the chancellor under penalty of perjury.

The United States disclaims in the agreement “any aim of dictating the content of academic speech or curricula.” UNC agrees not to challenge the Justice Department’s July 29, 2025, guidance on unlawful discrimination. Enforcement suits go to federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina.¹

What each side said

Dhillon said in a Justice Department release that “higher ed policies and practices that tolerate antisemitism or favor certain racial groups over others, frustrate our color-blind justice system,” and that the department hopes other institutions “will take note and do the same.” Richey said that because of the agreement, applicants “will be assessed based solely on their merit — not race.”³

Roberts said the agreement “reinforces our commitment to the fair and equal treatment of everyone at Carolina.” UNC said Elizabeth Hall, associate vice chancellor for university compliance, will serve as both administrator and Title VI coordinator, and that the investigations date to 2019.²

Roberts told The Assembly that the open matters “represented significant prospective liability and legal costs for the university.” Holden Thorp, a former UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor, told the outlet: “There’s no fine, and there’s no departments singled out.”⁴

What the records do not show

• The agreement does not describe the allegations in the 18 investigations or what the compliance review found.
• It refers to an “attached list” of mediators; the 10-page copy posted by UNC does not include one.
• Neither release reports any vote by UNC’s trustees or the UNC System Board of Governors on the agreement.